My students need cleats because it is impossible for my students to perform on the field without them.
$921 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
When I walk into school in the morning, out of school in the evening, or check my phone at almost any hour, there is one question that my student athletes always have for me, "Coach, is there practice?" If you were to come into my school, these students would be easy to find-they are the ones walking around with mitts, having a catch during lunch, and wearing their jerseys even when it is not game day. In short, they love being on the baseball team, and by association, coming to school.
I teach at a Title I public high school located in the South Bronx which is the poorest congressional district in the United States.
The baseball team is a conduit which my students use to tap into everything that is the best part of themselves. It is a community where there is no barrier for entry and my student-athletes are able to forget about everything else that may be going on in their lives and be the person they imagine themselves to be. However, there is an economic barrier that comes with being on the team when students are faced with having to buy equipment the school cannot provide.
My Project
Up until recently, the only extracurricular activity for sports that was available to males was varsity basketball. This meant that of the hundreds of young men in our student body, only a small handful of them had the opportunity to define themselves as a student-athlete and take up the challenges and responsibilities that comes with that role.
Last year, our program's first year, the most consistent discrepancy between our team and our opponents was we were mostly in sneakers and they all had cleats.
Through offering a baseball team, we are able to serve 16 young men who have voluntarily dedicated themselves to learning how to be the best student and the best teammate they can be each and every day. However, while many of my students have played baseball before, only a couple of them have ever had access to an organized sports program. This means that even though all of my students are prepared mentally and physically to compete, they lack some of the most essential pieces of athletic equipment that are needed for success.
The circumstances that prevent my students from acquiring appropriate attire to play in hampers their ability to perform. Not that this has ever stopped them. On a rainy day, you can stop by and see many of my players playing their hearts out while essentially destroying the sneakers they have to wear everyday. However, this makes attending practice and games extra stressful for them because they need to worry about dirtying or damaging the shoes they must wear every day. Your money will help purchase cleats so that this will no longer be an issue, and in donating, you will help break down the economic barriers preventing my students from achieving their athletic potential.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Rose and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
